


Leg Day

by nofeartina



Series: Fic posts archived from tumblr [14]
Category: SKAM (Norway)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, M/M, Meet-cute in a gym, based on a prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:35:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21583135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nofeartina/pseuds/nofeartina
Summary: Prompt by anonymous on tumblr:"Gosh I HATE whenever there’s a cute boy at the gym I go to and they’re working out next to me or and they just make these soft pant noises and I just DIE"It's the WORST! (although I'm not sure Isak would agree... xD)
Relationships: Even Bech Næsheim/Isak Valtersen
Series: Fic posts archived from tumblr [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1204000
Comments: 52
Kudos: 599





	Leg Day

**Author's Note:**

> What is this? Another prompt fic from me?? Le gasp! xD  
> There are still plenty of prompts in my inbox and I'll try to do as many of them as I can, I haven't given up on them. :) Thank you sweet Cola for looking it over and for always being so excited about my writing. ❤❤❤❤
> 
> Of course this got so long that I decided to post it here instead of on tumblr. I hope it's what you hoped for, sweet anon! 
> 
> Enjoy. :)

Of all days, he can’t believe  _ this  _ is the day he’s forgotten his headphones.

It’s legs day.

He has an entire playlist for it on his phone and he just knows that his work-out is going to suffer for his forgetfulness. But there’s nothing for it. He’s already here, standing in front of his usual locker, work-out clothes and a post-workout smoothie in his bag. 

He gets changed, but he almost feels naked walking out towards the cardio area without the music pumping him up, getting him ready. The music playing in the background at a lowish volume isn’t quite what he’s used to, but he guesses it’ll have to do.

So he gets on the treadmill and mentally prepares himself for a very boring workout.

Ten minutes into his run someone gets up on the treadmill next to him. Isak barely notices it, tries to stay in the zone, to control his pulse and his breathing, get his muscles warm. He still has 20 minutes to go before he’s done and he’s working very hard not to get bored with running on the spot without his music. There’s a television on somewhere to his left, but they’re showing a rerun of some old Paradise Hotel episode and just… no. Not even when he’s getting bored out of his mind is he desperate enough for  _ that.  _

It only takes a few more minutes before Isak’s mind starts drifting. All of a sudden it’s not “breathe in, breathe out, focus,  _ focus, _ ”, instead it’s “I wonder if there’s still any of that soup left that Eskild made last night or do I really have to buy groceries on the way home. The milk should keep for another day, the bread for a least two more. Unless Eskild eats it and-- oh, maybe Jonas is up for some gaming tonight. Didn’t he say he was….” and that’s where he discovers he’s stopped focusing on running, that his breathing is off and he’s lost his rhythm.

Goddammit, he misses his playlist.

He looks around, sees other people without music in their ears and he just doesn’t understand how they do it. And then he realizes he’s focusing on other people instead of his workout  _ again, _ and he rolls his eyes over how hard it is for him to focus. It’s just half an hour, it shouldn’t be this hard.

He shakes his head to clear all the intrusive thoughts, tries to get back into the headspace where he’s just running and his mind is right there with him. He feels his legs working, his feet hitting the moving surface of the treadmill, he notices his breathing, his stride. He’s getting back into the zone, slowly but surely, when a new kind of sound pulls him out of it.

It’s a groan.

It’s not sexual, it’s someone exerting themselves, it shouldn’t pull Isak’s attention like this. But it does.

There’s something about that voice, something about how the groan reverberates down Isak’s spine, settles hot and sticky in his groin that breaks Isak’s attention completely and makes him glance surreptitiously to his side. 

It’s just a quick glance, but it’s enough to give Isak some information: it’s a guy and he’s running too, although slower, and he’s very tall, taller than Isak. 

It’s suddenly very hard to not get a second look, to see if it’s true what he suspects, that the guy is really pretty too, but Isak forces himself to look forward. And he tries to forget about him, reminds himself that that’s something to think about after, when he’s done his 30 minutes and he can move on to the weights and the machines and he has time to look around. Then he at least has something to look at.

But then there’s another sound from the guy, this one closer to a moan than a groan, and Isak’s machine starts beeping with a warning of his pulse getting too high. 

Goddammit.

_ Goddammit! _

Isak can’t remember the last time he flushed this fast, but at least he doesn’t have to feel too self-conscious about it since he’s already started to sweat a bit and is certainly starting to flush from the run alone. A little bit more color in his face isn’t going to give him away.

But the incessant beeping from the machine might, though.

He slows down the speed of the machine, gives himself a couple of minutes to get his breathing and his pulse under control so he can pick up his run again. He briefly considers turning off the program he’s running at but he knows that he’ll miss the inclines that are about to come if he does.

But before he can decide, the guy beside him makes another sound, and Isak closes his eyes in desperation for a long second and then unclips the pulse meter from the machine.

No need to make it harder on himself than it already is. Pun intended.

  
  


Isak ends up leaving the treadmill much earlier than he normally would. It’s just not comfortable running with something that could very easily turn into a hard-on, and there’s no way he’s getting back into the zone with that guy next to him. So Isak moves on to the machines.

He’s working his inner thighs, spreading them wide before he pushes his legs together with enough weight on the machine to make his legs tremble with a few repeats, and that’s when he looks up.

To find the guy staring right at him.

And Isak was right. Isak was very right. The guy is  _ beautiful _ ; delicate, handsome features, long shapely legs that go on forever, hair pushed back with some kind of bandana. He looks like someone who doesn’t quite belong in a gym, but at the same time looks completely at home here. 

Oh no. Isak is sitting there, legs spread as wide as possible, his shorts riding up due to his position and the fact that they’re really not quite as long as they should be, and the way the guy looks at him is enough to make it almost impossible for Isak to gather enough strength to push them back together.

Isak swallows.

And then he forces himself to look away from the guy so he can finish, takes a few deep breaths and completes his movement.

Fuck. He’s so half-assing this. As if it wasn’t bad enough that he had forgotten his music, now he has to deal with this gorgeous dude looking at him, making sounds that are so distracting that Isak isn’t even sure he’ll be able to feel this workout in his legs tomorrow. Not if he keeps cutting everything short. But there’s just no way he can sit there with his legs spread, showing his thighs and his  _ everything  _ while this dude is looking at him.

There’s only one thing for it - he needs to find out just what kind of way the guy is staring at him.

He gets out of the machine, wipes himself off with the towel while he’s trying to figure out which part of the gym the guy is heading for. Isak tries to be sneaky about it when he notices that the guy is going to the free weights, as he watches him pick up a couple and settling in in front of the mirror. 

Isak tries to act casual but he’s not sure he succeeds as he hurries towards the weights.

It’s not like Isak makes a habit of picking up dudes at the gym. In fact, he’s never done it before, it’s just always seemed so awkward. Isak is there to work out, he’s sweaty and gross in no time so it’s not really a place he feels like he has much game.

But there’s just something about this guy that makes Isak want to know more. 

He picks up a couple of weights himself, maybe picks those that are a bit heavier than he would normally pick, and then he starts doing lunges. He’s placed himself strategically in the room; he’s close but not too close, just enough that he can steal looks in the mirror, noticing how the guy’s arms work, how his biceps strain as he bends and stretches his arms. 

It’s so distracting that Isak has lost count of his lunges, and also, to be completely honest, he’s not going as deep or as hard as he should. He probably looks like someone who’s not used to working out, but he can’t help it. The view is far too distracting.

Until the guy looks at Isak through the mirror.

Isak looks away fast, flushing all over again, and suddenly his lunges become deep and long and powerful, enough that Isak knows that he’s at least going to feel  _ that _ in the morning. 

He does ten, and when a quick glance in the mirror tells him that the guy is still looking his way, he changes legs and does ten excruciating ones there too. 

He nearly falls over when there’s another groan from the guy and Isak simply can’t help but look as the guy grimaces and does one more repeat with each arm. He puts down the weights and shakes his arms out. 

Isak is sure he’s still looking but he doesn’t look back, instead he changes position and starts working on his glutes instead. 

And maybe, just maybe, he’s a bit less quiet about it than he usually is.

They both continue their routines right where they are, in sight of each other, and maybe Isak adds a couple of new ones just to keep standing there. He’s pretty certain that if he continues like this, continues adding weight, continues doing more reps than he’s used to, he’s not even going to be able to walk out of here.

He almost eyerolls himself. He’s so obvious, showing off for the pretty boy like some peacock trying to win favor. It’s so stupid, but that doesn’t mean he stops doing it.

And just when Isak is sure that he can’t go on anymore, when every muscle in his legs is trembling and so weak he’s surprised he’s still standing, the guy puts the weights back in the rack and picks up his towel and water. Like he’s done.

“Oh, thank god,” Isak whispers to himself, a little too eager as he puts his own weights back on the rack, thankful to finally get rid of them. He needs to find somewhere he can sit for a little (long) while and get something to drink. Just a small break, he promises himself. Just long enough that he’s able to walk again.

But before he can leave the guy turns to him and says, “You have really strong legs.”

Isak tries to hide the way they’re shaking under him, how much they’re threatening to give out, stands up a bit straighter instead like he’s totally on top of things.

“Thanks.” 

He takes a sip of his water, just to cover up his surprise at how the guy is actually talking to him, and to give him a few seconds to come up with something to say back. He’s even prettier up close, even though he’s all sweaty and flushed too. 

God, Isak hopes he’s into guys so bad.

He hasn’t thought of anything more to say by the time he’s done drinking, his heart rate increasing with each passing second the silence stretches between them. And just on the brink of it turning unbearable, he manages to say, “Leg day is my favorite.”

The guy raises his eyebrows and smiles this teasing smiles that Isak can feel all the way in his toes, and when he looks down at Isak’s legs, deliberate, lingering, Isak is pretty sure that his interest is more than just professional. 

“It shows,” he says, eyes still lingering on Isak’s legs, before they dart back up to his eyes and oh yeah. He’s definitely into dudes. And even better, he seems to be into Isak.

See, Isak can be suave. No, he can, he can pull out all the stops when he wants to, can flirt and charm with the best of them. But… right now he’s exhausted and flushed and sweaty in a ratty old gym shirt and shorts that are too short. He knows his hair is probably matted to his neck and face, knows that he did a pretty ratty job shaving this morning. Standing opposite to this guy, who still somehow manages to look handsome even though he’s clearly had a work-out too, well. It doesn’t make it easy for Isak to be suave and charming.

So instead of smiling back and getting into that pose he knows works so well, instead of pushing his hair back to make himself look just a bit better, he just stands there, a little bit overwhelmed and a lot tongue-tied.

But the longer Isak keeps quiet, the bigger the guy’s smile gets.

“I’m Even,” he says. 

Isak just barely manages to say, “Isak,” before Even is already speaking again. 

“Maybe I could get you to show me some of those leg exercises you were doing?”

“Yeah,” Isak readily agrees. “Maybe. But… maybe not right now.” He can’t help but laugh, because there’s no way Even isn’t starting to notice just how much Isak’s legs are shaking, and it’s a relief when Even laughs back.

It’s a friendly laugh, and it makes Isak feel warm inside, makes his heart beat a bit faster in that good way.

“I was gonna go stretch, you want to join?” Even asks, followed by a shrug that makes his words seem carefree even though the way he looks at Isak tells another story.

Isak nods.

  
  


It’s a relief stretching his muscles, but not quite as much as sitting down is. Even sits next to him, stretching his arms, making Isak laugh and talk. Like they’ve done this before.

“Do you always work your legs so hard on leg day?” Even asks, watching Isak pull at his foot to get at his hamstring. 

“No, not usually. I had forgotten my headphones today.” Which… isn’t a lie, but isn’t the truth either, not when the real reason was the distraction sitting next to him.

Even nods, like what Isak is saying even really makes sense. “I’m usually here with my friends, so it’s not really a hardcore workout I come here for.”

“Are they not here today?”

For the first time Even seems flustered, clears his throat and looks down instead of at Isak.

“No, they are. I just…”

Isak waits for Even to continue with bated breath, curious and excited because he has a feeling he knows just what Even really is saying.

“....you just?” he pushes, smirking a bit.

Even looks back up at him, smirks back when he sees Isak doing it, and says, “I wanted to work on my arms.”

“Oh, you did?”

“Yeah.” His tongue peeks out, making it even more obvious how much Even is flirting with Isak. “And to maybe look at the guy working his legs a bit.”

“Yeah?” 

“You’re always so unapproachable when you’re here, always so focused. It’s the first time I’ve seen you without your headphones.”

It’s not like Isak doesn’t hear what Even is saying, hears the flirting tilt of his voice, but he just can’t abstract from what it means.

“You’ve noticed me here before?”

Even looks at him, his eyes a bit too wide for how casual he otherwise seems. He’s not even pretending to be stretching anymore, so Isak eases out of his own stretch to be able to focus completely on Even.

“Once or twice,” Even teases with a tilt to his head, once again the poster boy for casual flirting even though his eyes are telling a completely different story.

Isak laughs. He just can’t help himself, he can’t believe Even has been noticing him. It seems it doesn’t really matter how gross he is, not when he can catch the eye of someone like  _ Even.  _

“Well, that certainly puts me at a disadvantage. It seems I have some catching up to do.”

There’s something so unbearably hopeful about the smile Even sends him at that, it makes Isak even more confident and makes it easy for him to continue.

“Maybe you’ll let me catch up over coffee sometime? Give me a chance to let you see me in something other than old work-out clothes?”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Even says and then bites his lip and Isak can’t look anywhere else. 

Jesus  _ Christ. _

He just barely manages to catch the next thing Even says, “Are you free after this?” but he’s glad that he does.

He nods.

  
  


It’s so easy, being on a date with Even. Even is funny and easy to talk to and makes Isak feel desirable and relaxed. Isak could do this all day. 

He can’t remember the last time he smiled this much. He should be tired from the workout, but he’s not. Would probably normally worry about his hair drying weirdly, or how long it takes for his cheeks to return to their normal color (or whether they ever really do), but he doesn’t. Even just sets him right at ease and he doesn’t think about anything other than sitting here with him.

It’s a good first date and Isak already knows that there are going to be several more. He’s sure of it.

After, when they’ve left the coffee shop, walking side by side to the tram, their shoulders brushing and their hands touching like they’re both itching for more, Even suddenly stops and pulls Isak to the side a bit.

“I just need to try this,” he whispers and leans in. He’s going slow, slow enough that Isak could stop him if he wanted to, but Isak doesn’t. He really doesn’t. Instead, he leans forward, meets Even in the middle, eager to let their lips meet.

It’s not much, a gentle press of lips against lips, a soft slide that feels far too familiar and intimate for how small and new the gesture is. But Isak feels it throughout his entire body, from the top of his head to the balls of his feet, and it just feels so right. Perfect.

When they pull back Isak takes a few seconds to open his eyes, only just managing to stop himself from touching his lips, just to see if he can somehow feel the effect of that kiss on his lips physically.

“Wow,” Even whispers and smiles. “I guess we’re compatible like that too.”

Isak blushes a bit at how Even says it. He’s man enough to admit that because it feels so good that they’re both on the same page.

“Maybe I should forget my headphones more often,” he says, hoping and succeeding in making Even laugh.

He takes Isak’s hand, strokes the palm with his thumb sending small zaps of electricity down Isak’s spine and then he shakes his head.

“No, once was enough.”

Even’s eyes linger on him, intense and full of the promise of more and Isak wants it. Excitement runs through his veins, lighting up his entire body in its wake, and he already feels like he’ll never get enough, never grow tired.

So he leans in and kisses Even again, seals those words with a kiss of promise of his own.

“Yeah, I guess once  _ was _ enough,” he whispers against Even’s lips. 

They kiss again but it quickly dissolves into them just pressing their smiles against each other. But that’s its own kind of perfect.

Kissing while smiling is something new, but with Even? Isak can’t wait to get used to it.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This was fun to write and I hope it was just as much fun to read. I hope you're not too tired of these fluffy one-shots from me. hahaha  
> If you enjoyed it, please don't hesitate to leave a comment and/or a kudos, it's the easiest way to make me squee at my phone. xD
> 
> I'm [nofeartina](https://nofeartina.tumblr.com/) on tumblr, come play!


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